Four's A Crowd
by Pleasant Tomorrow
Summary: After feeling disrespected by their significant others, Jack and Janet hatch a plan to try and make Vicky and Phillip stop taking them for granted. A series of set-backs and unforeseen circumstances causes them to gradually reveal their own past feelings and frustrations, and why it took a year for them to speak to one another again.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1.  
If You Are But A Dream**

For some reason they were sitting on the couch in their old apartment. Everything was as it had always been. She leaned her head on top of his shoulder, and he leaned his head on top of hers. Both of them had smiles on their faces. Finally, she spoke.

"I didn't want to, you know."

"What?"

"I didn't want to leave."

"Then why did you?"

There was a pause. She breathed deeply before catching his eyes with her own. "Because, Jack…because I wasn't getting any younger. It was time to stop playing games and grow up."

He ignored her most recent statement. "You know, if you'd have stayed, I'd probably have stayed forever."

"I know you would've. That's why I had to go."

He looked away, trying to gather his thoughts. "But, see, I'll never be as happy as I was for those seven years. I didn't realize it then, but now...now I just wish I could go back. I wish I could see you again."

"But Jack, honey, you can."

"No, not like before."

She paused again and placed her hands in his. "I promised you I'd be happy, Jack. Now I need you to promise me that you'll be happy, too."

He gazed intently at her, squeezing her fingers. It was so unfair how she was always right, how she could give him the cold, hard truth while still maintaining the gentleness of an angel. He swallowed hard and nodded with ambivalence. "Alright. I - "

…..

A crack of thunder woke him up. He shot out of bed, nearly knocking into Vicky and almost waking her up. Jack paused mid-position before he was completely sure that she was still asleep. He let out a sigh of relief and walked over to the window, but not before slamming his knee on the side table. His muffled squeal was just quiet enough to prevent her from stirring.

He rested his head on the window while he attempted to rub away the pain. Outside, it was completely dry. Good old southern California - always on the verge of rain, but never quite getting there. The thundered rolled on above, mocking him.

It seemed hard to sleep lately. He felt as though something were wrong, like something he'd been trying to suppress for a long time was finally poking its head through his protective barrier. He was beginning to realize that this was his life – this right here – and that maybe it wasn't quite everything he'd always imagined it was going to be. It scared him. He'd been with Vicky for over a year now, and even though he'd rushed into the relationship to fill a sudden void in his heart, he assumed it'd all eventually fall into place. But now, as he stood there in the dark, with only an occasional flash of lightning to light the room, he wasn't completely certain that it was ever going to. Not entirely.

He was doing fine, though. Really, he was okay. Life was tolerable, and that's all you can ever really ask for.

But was he truly happy?

The thunder cracked again.

Janet sat in bed on the other side of the city. Her light was clicked on beside her as she read her newest mystery novel. It was her ritual on weekends when Philip was away on business. She'd stay up late, and anything that had been on her mind that day would melt away with the turn of a page. And there'd been a lot on her mind lately.

It seemed as though there were some sort of temporal shift in her relationship with her husband. It wasn't any one particular issue; it was just their general demeanor toward each other. The honeymoon phase was officially over, and reality was sinking in. It was the reality of daily life, of jobs, of wanting to start a family – and none of it quite coming together in the way that she'd planned. But she assured herself that this was just the way of things, that life never went according to plan, and that it would all work out in time.

Another crack of thunder just as she was reaching the big reveal. She screamed and tossed the book in the air, causing her to completely lose her place. Placing her hand on her chest and trying to catch her breath, she looked over at the alarm clock. It was past one in the morning. Maybe it was finally time to call it a night.

Still, she got up and walked over to the window. Their large home was situated on a hill, and she saw the city of Santa Monica laid out before her, the last lights of the night still holding on. It felt different, living this sort of lifestyle. Having a lot of money was not something that she was used to. She had to have been the luckiest girl in the world. So why did it all feel like some sort of façade?

She leaned her head against the window, waiting for it to start raining outside – or at least to just do something. Anything. If she stared long enough, maybe she could will something to happen. She supposed that maybe the answers to all of her concerns were out there somewhere.

Or problems. Maybe there were just more problems.

…..

Janet absolutely despised the snooty charity parties Phillip dragged her to every so often. They felt so _fake_. It was one thing for the rich to donate their money to a good cause, but another thing entirely when it was done merely for appearances. There wasn't one person among them who was even aware of the importance of the cause to which they were donating, and a few, she was sure, who weren't even aware of what the cause was at all.

For her part, Janet was quite content with donating to the new AIDS foundation to help ailing young people.

"Is that what this is all about?" Phillip asked after taking a sip of his scotch. "I could've sworn that wasn't until next month."

"Yes," Janet rolled her eyes, playfully smacking him. "If you paid attention, you'd know that."

She looked quite stunning in an off-the-shoulder, floor length red dress. Her hair was now long enough to wear up, and at last she had enough money to afford pearls to adorn the ensemble. If she was going to suffer through another one of these events, she'd figured, she might as well go all out.

"Besides, I think it's a rather good cause. AIDS seems to be everywhere lately."

"Not here, I hope," Phillip quipped.

Janet gave him her signature glare, clearly not amused. "I'm sure if anything so horrible affected the lives of anyone here, they could afford some sort of obscure cure that hasn't even been invented yet."

Phillip detected her impatience with the elite of Santa Monica, knowing full well how much she hated these parties. "Come on now, Janet. These people aren't so bad. Paul and Maura are going to be here, you know. You like Paul and Maura, don't you?"

She sighed. "When, and only when, they are surrounded by all of these other awful people do they ever come across as tolerable."

Phillip produced his awkward, uncomfortable Phillip grin. On cue, the couple waltzed over to him and Janet, pinkies held high as they nibbled on whatever sort of delicacy the caterers had provided.

"Phillip! Janet, dear!" Maura exclaimed when she reached them. She provided a formal, fake peck on each of their cheeks, substituted by the word "muah" two times.

"So good to see you!" Paul shook Phillip's hand, and kissed Janet's. She returned as convincing a fake smile as she could muster.

"Have you tried the caviar? You simply must try the caviar," Maura intervened, even though not a bite was taken from…whatever it was that she held in her hand.

"I'm…quite alright, thank you," Janet replied, a bit repulsed.

"Phillip, old pal, how was the trip to New York? This past weekend, wasn't it?" Paul asked.

"Yes, that's right. Just some routine business. Nothing too exciting."

"Nothing too exciting? Don't be so modest. I heard you made quite a deal with that artist."

"What artist?" Janet piped in. This was news to her.

"Uh…a modern artist by the name of Renfield. He's very big in New York. We worked out a deal with the Guggenheim and…"

Janet's heart dropped. "Oh, I see. I guess that means you're going to be in New York a lot for a few weeks again."

Maura and Paul exchanged glances. "You mean you didn't tell her yet?" Paul asked.

"Tell me what, Phillip?" Janet asked, looking him directly in the eyes.

Phillip appeared unnerved, uncomfortably switching his weight from one leg to the other. "Well, it was supposed to be a surprise…"

"You're moving to New York!" Maura shouted before Phillip could finish, lifting her hands in the air, and carelessly spilling some of her chardonnay. "Isn't it wonderful?!"

Janet's mouth was slightly agape as she continued to look at Phillip, her eyes expressing a feeling of betrayal. After a moment, she took a breath and spoke quietly. "You've been back for almost an entire week. When were you planning on telling me about this move?"

"I – soon! I was going to tell you soon. It just didn't feel like the right – "

"Uh oh. Sounds like trouble in paradise," Paul joked, as if he thought he were the most clever person in the entire world.

Janet turned to the couple, her voice and demeanor firm. "Paul. Maura. Leave."

"Well!" Maura stood back, offended.

"Looks like you have a live one on your hands, Phil," Paul muttered under his breath before they walked away.

"Phillip. What makes you think you could make this deal without consulting me first?"

"Janet, look –"

"Don't you Janet look me. What gives you the right to accept a job on the entire opposite side of the country – "

"I just assumed that you'd be okay with it!"

"Oh, you just assumed, did you? You just assumed that I'd give up my life and everything I have here in Santa Monica just like that?"

"Janet, it was the deal of a lifetime! If I didn't make a decision on the spot, I would've missed out! I've been working for this my entire life!"

She paused for a moment, incredulous. Quietly she asked, "What about my life?"

He bit his tongue, unable to fight back. He knew her feelings were completely justifiable. Still, he felt that if she just gave the idea a chance… "Can't you just think about it?"

"You didn't really give me a chance to do that, did you?"

She held eye contact briefly before she turned and made her way toward the entrance hall.

…..

"Jack, would you please put the hors d'oevres down if you're not going to eat them?"

"But it's all wrong. They prepared these entirely wrong. It's cheap, Vicky. If these people are trying to be impressive, they've failed. Look at these canapés, for crying out loud." He grabbed one and held it in front of her, disgusted.

She smiled. "It's just food, Jack," she replied, before eating the tiny appetizer in one bite.

He took a tiny step back, offended. "It is not _just_ food, Vicky. It's art."

"Jack, I really think it's time for you to just take a break from your job for a little while and enjoy the party."

He sighed halfheartedly. "I would, but I always feel so out of place at these charity galas. I have to mingle with all of these fancy rich people and pretend that I can actually afford to donate half of what they do."

"I know, and I promise I'll make it up to you, but you know how much it means to daddy."

He groaned his classic Jack Tripper groan. "That would be all fine and dandy if doing these things would actually make him like me."

Vicky chuckled. "You're going to marry his little girl. He's never _entirely_ going to like you."

He rolled his eyes and nodded. "Peachy."

"And this here is my lovely daughter Victoria," Mr. Bradford exclaimed to a couple of his friends as he walked over to Jack and Vicky. Under his breath he added, "and her fiancé Jack Tripper."

They exchanged pleasantries. One of them piped in, "Well, Mr. Tripper, James must really like you if he's willing to take you on as a business partner."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm not – "

"He's not kidding about how excited he is for this new venture, isn't that right Jack?" Mr. Bradford said as he placed his hand over Jack's mouth, cutting him off.

Jack looked at Vicky, confused. "Um…yeah, right. I'm very excited. Thrilled, even."

Mr. Bradford lightly slugged Jack on the shoulder, putting on airs. "That's my boy. So ambitious."

Jack butted in sarcastically. "Yes. Very ambitious, considering I'm a-"

" _Was_ a chef," Mr. Bradford covered Jack's mouth again. "Yes, see, he's very new at this so for him to have already acquired the business sense is simply…quite…impressive."

Jack was beginning to have enough. "What do you mean _was_ a chef. What's going on here? Vicky?"

"Jack, please, not now," Vicky added quietly.

"No, I think if you're father is going to speak for me I ought to know what he's talking about."

Mr. Bradford turned to his friends and asked to be excused. "Jack, what are you trying to accomplish by embarrassing me in front of the Ross brothers?"

"I don't care what the Ross Brothers think. Why are you telling people that I'm in business with you? What's going on?"

Mr. Bradford sighed. "Victoria, have you not spoken to Jack yet about our deal?"

She was sheepish and quiet. "Not exactly…"

"What deal?" Jack demanded.

"The deal that if you're going to marry my daughter, you're going to have to go into the family business. Somebody's going to have to carry on my legacy, especially considering my plans to retire…"

"Oh, no. If you think for one minute that going into your business wouldn't be a _waste_ of my time." He paused to chuckle at his pun of Mr. Bradford's waste disposal empire. When he was only met with blank stares, he added, "The only legacy I'm going to have is my own. I'm a chef. I don't have time to take over your business!"

"Well, that's why daddy and I figured if you sold the restaurant and maybe just did catering on the side…I mean I wouldn't want you to give up your passion entirely. I know how much cooking means to you and –

"Wait, hold on a second. _Sell_ the restaurant? You want me to sell the restaurant?"

"Well naturally I'd be the one selling the restaurant, considering I own the building," Mr. Bradford added.

"Come on, Jack, you and I both know it's not doing very well, and we'd be finding a new place to live anyway…"

His eyes expressed deep hurt as he looked as his fiancé, betrayed. This scene was far too familiar, reminding him of when a past fiancé, Denise, had attempted to do the same thing to him. He hadn't thought Vicky was capable of it.

"I can't believe you. I mean I'd expect this out of your father, but you too?"

He shook his head and left the both of them.

"Jack…" Vicky began, but he waved her off as he entered the front hallway.

It was a great hall, elegant and elaborate, adorned with a chandelier and a slightly curving staircase in the far right corner. It was romantically lit and only occupied by a few other people. He sighed as he slumped against the wall between the entrance and an large, antique grandfather clock.

It was true. The restaurant hadn't been doing the best, but it was enough to get by on and that's all Jack could ask for as long as he was able to do what he loved. He was going to work hard until the place was back on its feet again. Maybe when he was younger he'd have been willing to give up, but at the time he'd had people in his life that wouldn't allow him to do that. Now it seemed as though he was entirely on his own.

Or was he?

He pulled his hands away from his face where he'd been squeezing the bridge of his nose in frustration. He looked around the foyer at these poor saps who were putting on airs and pretending to be somebody they weren't. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw red movement to his right. On the midway point of the staircase, looking out a window with what appeared to be the same vein of exasperation that Jack was experiencing, stood a woman he knew, but hadn't seen in some time.

He stood up straight, his mind suddenly transfixed on something entirely new. He spoke before he could think twice.

"…Janet?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

 **Where The Hell Have You Been**

Janet was staring out the window, not focusing on anything in particular, when she heard someone calling her name. For a brief moment she assumed it must've been Phillip; but she knew that voice. She peeked over her left shoulder, doing a double take when she realized that it was, in fact, Jack Tripper.

"Jack!" Her voice was both tremulous and exultant. She felt a mixture of emotions upon seeing his face, but the sheer joy in seeing him for the first time in a year overshadowed them all. In a rush of excitement, she hopped down the stairs faster than her heels could manage, causing her to stumble and fall into Jack's waiting arms.

"Careful!" Jack joked. "That's my entrance move."

They both laughed it off as he pulled her up and enveloped her in the biggest bear hug he could muster.

"Oh it's so good to see you," Janet murmured into his neck. She lifted her head from his shoulder to get a good look at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Sight seeing," Jack joked as a woman with a ridiculously flamboyant peacock themed hat strolled by them. They both chuckled. "No," he clarified. "I'm here with Vicky and her father…although I'd give anything not to be."

Janet sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're telling me. I'm at these sorts of things all the time with Phillip. I feel so…"

"…out of place?" Jack finished for her.

"Yeah," she breathed with a smirk.

"Me, too," he replied. "Besides, the food is always subpar. You'd think they could afford to do better than this."

Janet laughed. "I'm surprised we haven't run into each other before," she spoke before she realized what she was saying.

Neither of them had spoken to each other in the past year, save the few times they'd run into each other here and there. Janet had done her best to start some sort of dialogue, but Jack was always in an uncomfortable rush to leave. It wasn't like him, Janet had thought, and she knew there had to be a reason for it, but that didn't stop her from growing increasingly irritated with him.

The smile was still on Jack's face, but it had disappeared from his eyes as he responded. "Yeah."

Janet tried to clarify that she hadn't meant to reference the fact that neither of them had been in contact for the past year. "…because of, you know, both of us running in the same circles and all."

"Right, no, yeah. I know," he replied casually. "…I know."

"And I said, 'Maxwell, why are you stressing over whether to get the jet or the vacation home in Miami? You only live once, why not have both?'" Jack and Janet heard a crowd laugh as they made their way into the foyer.

Jack searched Janet's eyes. "Do you…wanna go outside and get some fresh air? It's kind of stuffy in here." She nodded in reply.

They made their way onto a moonlit stone veranda surrounded by a multitude of ivies and azaleas.

"It's a nice night," Jack remarked, attempting small talk to avoid what he knew they were both thinking.

"Yeah, it is," Janet replied.

Silence.

"Smells good," Jack added, referencing the flowers.

Janet was growing impatient. She pursed her lips as she looked out over the vast acreage on the other side of the short, stone wall surrounding the porch.

"What kind of flowers are those, anyway? Aren't they - "

Janet smacked Jack on the arm before he could finish.

"Ow!" he whined. "What was that for?"

"Where the hell have you been?" she turned to him, the entirety of her small frame suddenly bubbling with resentment.

"Where have _I_ been?" he asked defensively. "Where have _you_ been?"

"Don't you put this on me, Jack Tripper! I must've called you a thousand times. I even wrote a letter!"

"Look, I've been...wait, a letter?"

"It was written on the back of a Chinese food menu and read, 'I'm going to kill you.'"

"That was _you_?! _You're_ J?"

"Who'd you think it was, dummy? You're ignoring my question!"

"Janet, I almost called the cops! I was looking over my shoulder for weeks!"

She just looked up at him with sad eyes, not at all concerned about any emotional turmoil she may have put him through. He'd put her through more.

His face softened as he gazed back at her. He didn't know how to answer her question. He didn't even know all the answers himself. A simple, genuine, "I'm sorry" was all he could muster. Lucky for him, Janet seemed to accept his apology, finally smiling in return after momentarily glaring at him. She really was too happy to see him to try and argue any further.

They were silent for another brief moment, searching for something to change the subject. "So," Janet finally began, startling Jack out of their stillness. "How's Vicky?"

Jack huffed and rolled his eyes. "Who?"

"Oh, no." Janet looked concerned. "What happened?"

"It's not her, it's her father…and her. It's her and her father."

"Is he still giving you trouble all the time?"

"Janet, the man is insane. He purposely sets ridiculously high standards that are impossible to reach just to make sure that I'll fail."

"But you haven't, have you? I mean, you've still got your restaurant."

"That's the thing. He wants me to get rid of it."

"What?!"

"He said that if I'm going to marry Vicky, I have to work for him."

"How could he do that? What did Vicky say?"

"She agreed with him."

Jack walked over to the wall and sat down with his head in his hands, followed shortly after by Janet, who took a seat by his side.

"I mean, sure, business isn't great right now and money may be tight but…this restaurant is who I am, you know? They can't just make me choose like that."

Jack stared off, his mind still trying to wrap around the evening's events. Janet stroked his arm in an effort to comfort him, her face full of concern as she looked into his downcast eyes.

"Jack, do you love her?"

He broke out of his trance. "Huh?"

"Someone once told me that…if you love someone, the important thing is that you're together," she said, recalling the words Jack had said to her only a year before, right before she'd married Phillip.

His brow furrowed. "So what you're saying is that I should give up the restaurant so I can be with Vicky?"

"No," she shook her head. "I'm saying you should break up with Vicky so you can keep your restaurant." She chuckled at her own joke, causing Jack to crack a slight one of his own. "But," she began in a more serious tone, "I think that if she loves you, if you really love each other, then where you work shouldn't matter. Haven't we been through this before?"

Jack laughed out loud this time. "Tell her that."

"Maybe you just need to talk to her, Jack. Vicky never struck me as the controlling type. She's probably just as intimidated by her father as you are."

Jack looked at Janet and smiled. He missed how she always knew just the right thing to say when he was down and silently cursed himself for haphazardly avoiding her this past year simply because he was afraid of change. He'd feared that Janet Dawson wouldn't be the same person as Janet Wood, but most of all he feared that Janet Dawson wouldn't care about him as much. He was starting to see, now, that he'd been wrong.

"Sometimes I think she'll never love me as much as she loves her father," he said.

Janet sighed and shrugged. "I suppose it's better that it's another person she loves most. Meanwhile Phillip is married to his job and I've become nothing but an afterthought."

"Oh, Jan," Jack said quietly, wrapping his arm around her. "Hey, I told you he was trouble."

Janet smirked and playfully hit him. "He's my husband, Jack. I love him, I just…"

"You just wish you could be treated with more respect?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, same here."

They sat there in the stillness of the night for some time, but it was no longer an uncomfortable silence. It was simply one of those moments when you're with somebody you know so well, and have known for so long, that the pressure to partake in idle small talk vanishes. It was a sensation that neither of them had experienced in some time, and it felt good to simply enjoy the other's presence again, knowing that the other understood them completely. Both of them had missed their best friend.

"Janet, are you out here?"

It was Phillip's voice this time, breaking the other two out of their reverie. Janet reluctantly stood up, but did not turn to face him. "What do you want?"

"I thought maybe we should leave early, since you're upset with me." He noticed the person next to her. "Who's this?"

"Hiya, Phil," Jack got up and turned around, extending his hand.

"Oh, Jack! Jack's here! Janet, you didn't tell me that Jack was here!"

Janet shook her head and rolled her eyes as the two shook hands. They briefly exchanged pleasantries as she stood off to the side, her arms crossed firmly as they rested on her abdomen.

"Did you…want to stay longer?" Phillip asked, now that he knew Janet's friend was here.

Janet looked at Jack as if to ask him what to do, but he tipped his head toward Phillip to nonverbally suggest she should try and work things out with her husband. Reluctantly, she turned toward him.

"You and I need to discuss New York."

Phillip sighed. "I know…"

Smiling awkwardly, Jack glanced back and forth between the two of them. "You guys going on a trip?"

Janet continued to glare at her husband as she responded to Jack. "Ideally a trip lasts two weeks or less – not the rest of my life."

"I didn't say that it would be for the rest of our lives."

"How long then, Phillip, huh? Til we're in our sixties? Retirement?"

Phillip uneasily glanced at Jack, then back at Janet. "Look, could we discuss this somewhere else?"

Jack was beginning to pick up on what they were talking about, and his face grew concerned. "Are you guys…wait, Janet, are you two – are you moving to New York?"

Janet turned to Jack and looked at him with apologetic eyes. "I meant to mention that."

Jack's eyes fell as he tried to contemplate this development. He may not have seen Janet In a long time, but he took comfort in knowing that she was always nearby, just in case. Sometimes just knowing this much was enough. But now…now she'd be thousands of miles away. If he couldn't push himself to stay in touch with her while they were in the very same city, how could he hope to ever see her again if she were on the other side of the country?

"Jack?"

"Hmm?" He looked up, breaking out of his trance.

"You okay?"

He saw that Phillip had slipped back inside to talk to someone, and he and Janet were alone again. He looked at her and forced a smile, even though his eyes indicated dejection.

"Wow," he said finally. "New York."

"Yeah. Tell me about it." A pause. "But nothing's…official."

He nodded, ignoring her attempts to downplay the news. "I can't imagine you being so far away."

She knew what he was getting at, although it slightly irritated her that he would suggest discomfort at the idea of her being gone, after avoiding her for so long. At the same time, she was beginning to wonder if his avoiding her had been caused by more than just laziness.

Glancing toward the entrance, she saw Phillip waving her toward him, indicating that he'd like to leave. Instead of acknowledging him, she turned back toward Jack. "It looks like the gatekeeper of decision making would like to leave," she said deadpan.

Soon they were both enveloped in a hug, lingering longer than either of them intended. Pulling away, Janet searched his eyes. "I'll see you around then?"

"Yeah." He smiled, even if he wasn't sure how much he believed it.

She turned to walk away, not unclasping her hand from his until they were too far apart to reach. Before she got to the door, he called out to her.

"Janet?"

"Yeah?"

"…call me, okay?"

She smiled, even though she wanted to smack him at the same time. 'Call him,' she scoffed internally. That's exactly what she'd been doing for months, to no avail.

"No," she said sincerely, still smiling. "You call me."

He smiled back, understanding what she was getting at. "Okay. I'll call you."

And he meant it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.  
Here I Am**

Things were still a bit sour between Jack and Vicky in the days that followed, but eventually he was able to overlook the topic of their ire when she'd failed to bring it up any further. If he could make things look like they were going better than they actually were, he could manage to fool both himself and Vicky – about the restaurant _and_ their relationship.

But it was one night during dinner when Jack couldn't cover up how exhausted he was that it became difficult to ignore either situation any further.

"Did I tell you that Brenda and Victor are engaged?" Vicky remarked. "She's asked me to be her maid of honor."

Jack, too preoccupied with the stress of that day's work, took some time to respond. He idly used his fork to push around the leftover contents of his plate before processing that she'd spoken. "Huh?" he looked up, unaware of what she'd said. "Oh, that's nice, Vicky."

She glared at him inquisitively, having sensed his detachment all night. "Jack, did you even hear what I just said?"

"Hmm?" He finally managed to snap out of it. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just…it's been a long day."

Vicky hesitated. "Oh? Have things been picking up at the restaurant?"

"Picking up? Uh…yeah! Yeah, they're picking up," he lied, stumbling over his words as he tried to cover up his doubts.

"Jack, is everything alright? It seems like the pressure of things is really getting to you lately."

He sighed, giving up his act. "I don't know. I've been feeling guilty all day about having to fire one of the guys. Money is tight. I just can't afford to pay everyone right now."

Vicky frowned. "Didn't you just let someone go a couple of weeks ago?"

Jack thumped his head onto the table, defeated. "Mmhm."

She furrowed her brow, concerned. "I hate to see you so worried about all of this."

He picked his head back up. "I hate to _be_ so worried about all of this. But I guess it's just the nature of business."

Vicky nodded sympathetically before adding, "Well, not all business."

"Huh?"

"Well some businesses are public necessities, so there's always a steady income."

He stared at her blankly, suspicious. "Alright…"

"For instance, waste management. It - "

"There it is," Jack thumped his hand on the table. "I have to give you credit, it was really clever the way you seamlessly slipped it into the conversation."

"Jack…"

"It must've been gnawing at you, not bringing it up for weeks while you watched and, let's be honest, probably secretly reveled in the fact that the restaurant isn't doing well."

"Jack, that's not fair. I just want what's best for you."

"What's best for me, or what's best for you?"

She stared at him and then looked away. "But daddy says –"

"I don't care what your father says. What about what I say? What about what I want?"

She still wouldn't look at him.

"When are you ever going to break away from the hold that your father has on you? Aren't I important, too?"

He didn't wait for her to answer and left the kitchen in a huff before he slumped onto the couch with his head in his hands. After a long sigh, running his hands through his hair in frustration, his eyes landed on the telephone.

…

"Come on, Janet. When are you going to stop with the silent treatment?"

"What silent treatment? I just yelled at you just this morning."

Phillip sighed. He knew he'd hit a nerve this time with the news about their impending move. Janet was stubborn, but he'd never seen her being so unreasonable.

"Call me crazy, but it doesn't seem like you're even trying to entertain the idea at all," he quipped.

Janet brought the knife she'd been using to chop up some lettuce down onto the cutting board. She'd been steadily managing to put some of the skills Jack had taught her to good use over the past years. "Ha!" she squeaked, before turning around to face him. "Entertain? Phillip, how can I entertain a decision you've already made?"

"I told you that I just assumed - "

"Well you assumed wrong." She turned back around to continue cutting.

"So what you're saying is that you've already made your decision."

"I'm saying," she turned around with knife in hand, mindlessly waving it via the movement of her hands as she spoke, "that I'd just like to make my own decisions."

Phillip winced at each movement before Janet realized her unintended violent maneuvers and sheepishly turned back to face the counter.

"I hate to ask…but does that mean you're open to negotiation?"

Janet slowly set everything down and steadily walked toward the entrance to the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't feel comfortable being around you while I have a knife in my hand."

"Janet," he whined, walking after her. "Come on, Janet. We have to settle this once and for all. I don't like it when you're so hostile."

She pinched her forehead in frustration, not turning to face him. "I just want to be respected, Phillip. I want to know that what I want matters."

"It does matter," he said, hugging her from behind and trying to butter her up. "I guess I just thought I'd be better at guessing what your feelings would be. Listen," he said, turning her around to face him. "Give it more time. Just think about it." He paused. "It's important to me."

He gave her a kiss on the forehead and left the room, leaving her alone in silence and not feeling any better. Who the hell did he think he was, putting this all on her? This was not a decision she ever wanted to have to make on her own. The position he'd put her in wasn't a fair one. Either choose to stay home and risk bitter resentment from her husband, or support him and leave the life she'd known for years behind forever. She hated Phillip for doing this to her. She hated feeling so alone.

The ring of the phone startled Janet out of her thoughts. Jenny, she thought. Or Terri. Probably Terri. Terri always called once a week to check in and to update Janet about how well things were going in Hawaii, and Janet always pretended not to be a little bit jealous. After all, it was Hawaii.

"Hello?" Her voice was melodious, relieved to have a friend to spill her guts to at last.

And it was so good to hear it. It was much too far and few between these days that he did.

"Hi." The smile on his face affected the tone of his voice. "Janet?"

She was taken aback. "Jack?"

"Hey!"

"Hey!" She nearly spit out the word as a laugh, the smile on her face was so big. "I can't believe you actually called."

"I said I would, didn't I?"

"Yeah," she conceded.

"Well. Here I am."

She breathed a chuckle. "So you are."

"How are you?" They both spoke over each other at the same time. "I'm fine," they lied.

There was a pause in the midst of their brief but already awkward conversation.

Finally, Jack conceded with a sigh. "Janet?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"I lied. I'm not fine."

She frowned. "Yeah. Me neither."

They each proceeded to exchange their current frustrations with their significant others. Janet's situation scared Jack possibly more than his own.

"You're not really going to move, are you?" he quietly asked.

She paused. "I don't know. I just…I'm not normally a prideful person, Jack, but I'm just so darn tired of – of not being treated with the respect I deserve."

"You're not being prideful, Janet. He's putting you in a terrible position."

"I think both of us are being cornered into unfair decisions," she added.

She couldn't see his downcast eyes, heavy with contemplation. "God, Janet, I don't know what I'd do without you around. We never see each other anymore and I know that's my fault - "

"Completely your fault," Janet made sure to add.

He cracked a grin - she could be relentless. But she was right. He knew he owed it to her to make up for his behavior somehow. More than anything he simply wanted to make up for lost time. He wanted to remedy what they'd lost.

Suddenly Jack shot up, energized with a new idea. "Janet!" he cried, startling her on the other end of the line. "I've got it! We could go on a trip to Big Bear! Like old times!"

"What?" Her voice was hesitant. "Us? On a trip? Now?"

"Yeah, sure! It'd be the perfect opportunity to spend some time together before you - " He cut himself off, opting not to address the possibility. "And hey, you know what? Vicky and Phillip can come, too. Why not?" he cracked.

Janet giggled. "Do you really think it's a good idea? With everything that's going on…?"

"Sure it's a good idea! Has anything ever gone wrong on a trip before?" he joked.

The smile still remained on her face as she tried to grow serious. "I just worry about what could go wrong when things are so tense on both ends." She stopped, her mind rapid fire as an idea hit her. "Unless…"

"Unless? What unless?" Jack asked, a bit nervous. He'd known Janet long enough to recognize the tone in her voice when she was about to conspire a scheme that would make Lucy Ricardo look tame.

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's overkill."

"Well now I've _gotta_ know!"

Janet smirked mischievously. "I feel like Phillip is taking me for granted, right? And I know you feel the same way about Vicky. "

"Hmph. I'll say."

"Well…what if we gave them a reason to stop taking us for granted, Jack?"

Jack furrowed his brow. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, what if we gave them a reason to panic? A way for them to see what they're in danger of losing?" Slowly, she went on, "Jack, what if we used the trip to stage an affair? Between the two of us?"

He nearly dropped the phone in response to her suggestion. Steadying himself, he slowly took in the idea. It was thrilling and terrifying at the same time. Still, he felt like he was at the point where he'd try anything to remedy his life's problems. More than anything, there was an excitement in temporarily reverting back to the off-the-wall life he'd known while living in apartment 201. He had a growing feeling that Janet's reasoning was somewhat similar.

He bit the inside of his lip and briefly rolled the idea round in his mind.

"Tell me more."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Let's Start A Fire**

The cabin they'd all rented was not unsimilar to the one Jack and Janet had stayed in with Larry and Terri just a few short years before. It was slightly roomier- just to the right was a mini kitchen area - but it still had the loft, the high ceiling complete with skylights, and, directly in the back across from the door, a classic stone fireplace. The women entered first, followed by the men with the bags, Jack trailing slightly behind Phillip before kicking the door shut.

They'd all ridden up together in Phillip's brand new, roomy Mercedes-Benz, top down with a perfect early fall breeze. Janet supposed she wasn't too surprised at Phillip's enthusiasm when she suggested the trip. He knew full well how upset she still was with him, and probably took it as an olive branch. She'd made sure to remind him that it was merely a way to get their mind off of things for a bit, and was in no way a white flag.

Jack had played up the trip pretty much the same way with Vicky. A vacation always made things better, he'd convinced her, and maybe it would clear their minds of their disagreements. Feeling a bit guilty and taken by Jack's enthusiasm, Vicky had agreed.

When the other two were busy unpacking their things, Jack pulled Janet aside.

"How come you haven't said anything yet?"

"What?"

"We haven't really done anything yet to imply any, you know…hanky panky."

"Look, we haven't been presented with a proper opportunity just yet. I want to make a lasting impression on them, and I'm not wasting my performance on you if they're not even going to notice."

"When is hanky-panky ever a waste?" he joked as he pinched her behind, causing her to jump and laugh before she smacked him on the arm.

Almost simultaneously, Vicky walked out from the bedroom that she had chosen for her and Jack. "You two having fun already?" she smiled, having only heard their giggles.

"What? Nothing. We weren't doing - "

Janet nudged Jack in the stomach, and he took the hint.

"I mean…" he began, as he placed his arm around Janet and squeezed it. He took on a husky inflection and went on, "I mean we weren't doing… _anything_." He drew out the last word dramatically before biting his lower lip, and Janet, slightly amused, shook her head.

"Okay," Vicky shrugged, unfazed.

Phillip walked out next. "Well, the bedroom's all set up for you."

Janet's eyes widened and Jack dug his nails dug into her arm, " _What?"_

"For Janet. Didn't you say you wanted to get some rest so we could have an early start tomorrow?"

The misunderstanding faded from their minds. "Oh," Janet replied. "Right. I did say that. Well," she said, turning to the other couple, "I guess we'll see you two in the morning." She drew out her words as if she had a plan, while simultaneously not knowing what the hell she was doing.

Jack searched her eyes and made a motion as if to say " _what gives?"_ She silently reassured him in return before entering her room with Phillip.

As quickly as she could, Janet slipped into her nightgown and robe, nearly falling over in the rush.

"Phillip, honey?" she asked, steadying herself with her hand against the wall.

"Yes, Janet?" he said, slipping into bed with some documents he needed to review for work.

"Wouldn't you like…" she cleared her throat to give herself more time to think. "Wouldn't you like, um, a nice hot cup of tea before you fall asleep?"

He winced. "You know tea gives me an upset stomach."

"Alright, I'll make you some hot cocoa then," she said quickly, heading to the door and knowing full well they didn't have any with them. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it to catch her breath, then glanced over at the door to Jack and Vicky's room.

Gliding toward it, she hit the door as discreetly as she could manage. Vicky answered a short moment later.

"Oh, hello…there," Janet said, not having expected Vicky to be the one to answer the door. "I'm sorry, I must've hit the door on accident when I tripped. I was going to make some hot cocoa for Phillip."

"Oh, that's okay. Are you alright?"

"Perfectly fine." She forced a cough as she called Jack's name. "Excuse me," she apologized. "Well, goodnight!"

"Goodnight," Vicky responded, confused but unfazed.

Before the door was completely shut, Jack pushed his way out. "Did somebody say cocoa?"

Janet pulled him by the arm, causing him to stumble toward her. "Will you get out here?" she growled, shutting the door behind him.

"Are we going to start our affair now?" he joked.

Janet pinched her nose while shaking her head. "Look, we have to be strategic about this, alright? One wrong move and it's too obvious. Another, and it's not obvious enough. We don't want to make them mad, just a little jealous."

"I feel like you're making this far more complicated than it needs to be."

"Just trust me, okay?" she replied. "Let's start a fire."

"Now you're talking," he strode over to her.

She turned around, stopping him in his tracks, and handed him some matches. "Here, you do it."

"Me? You're giving matches to me?"

Janet smiled and nodded, not acknowledging the danger she may be putting them in by placing the ingredients for fire in Jack Tripper's hands. "I'll be right back."

She entered her room again to check on Phillip. "You still awake?"

"Of course. Hey, where's my cocoa?"

"You're what? Oh! Right. The cocoa. It is currently being made…and don't worry, Jack is not out there with me and nothing else is going on besides the cocoa. Being made. On the stove."

Phillip furrowed his brow, but ignored her strange behavior. Instead, he replied, "Do you smell fire?"

"What?" she panicked internally. "Fire? Oh! The stove. The _gas_ stove. I'll be right back."

She slammed the door behind her once more, and made her way to the fireplace. Jack had a small fire going and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Not half bad, if I do say so myself," Jack gloated.

"I'll take those," she said, grabbing the matches out of his hand.

"Why did I make a fire again?"

"To draw attention. Phillip's already asking questions," she grinned.

Jack paused. "Now what?"

Janet clearly hadn't thought this through at all. Her smile faded as she racked her brain for their next move, Jack staring expectantly into her eyes as he waited for an answer. And then she realized that this was the first time in a long time that she actually had time to hang out with Jack, and here they were worrying about petty details. Wasn't being together in front of a roaring fire with so much to talk about enough?

She sat next to Jack, who had plopped himself in front of the fire. "Tell me about things," she smiled over at him.

He glanced over at her quizzically. "What things?"

A grin was still on her face as she scowled. "Tell me about how you've been doing. You know this is the first time in a long time that you and I have had the chance to, you know, talk."

He frowned. "Nothing besides what I've already told you."

"Oh, come on," she replied, placing her hand on his shoulder. "It can't all be bad. There has to be more going on in your life than just whatever's going on with Vicky and the restaurant."

"Well," he began, cracking a smile as he turned to face her, "There's you."

"What about me?"

"Having you around again. That's probably one of the better things going on."

She shook her head, not taking him too seriously. " _Probably_ , huh?"

"Definitely," he fake punched her on the arm, and she returned the action.

The expression on her face sunk. "I still don't understand why you were avoiding me all that time."

He sighed, frustrated that she'd brought it up again and having hoped he'd be able to skirt the question all together. "Because, Janet, I couldn't – I mean, I didn't - " He caught himself off guard, not sure what he was ready to admit, or what answers he was even able to provide.

She stood up, suddenly a bit peeved. "So you _were_ avoiding me," she huffed, pacing the area in front of the fire.

Jack got up, repeating her actions as he followed her in circles. "Janet, that came out wrong."

"No, it came out just right, didn't it?" She turned to face him, an accusing finger causing him to back toward the fireplace with each word she spoke. "There's a reason behind why you wouldn't speak to me for a year, but you won't admit it, will you?"

"Not the finger," he interrupted her.

"I'm not finished yet, Jack! That's another thing! You won't even let me - " She stopped dead in her tracks. "Do you smell something burning?"

He made a mocking facial expression at her, amused that she would ask such a stupid question. "I don't know, Janet, maybe it's the logs on fire behind me," he rolled his eyes and turned to point before letting out a classic Jack Tripper shriek.

"Jack, your robe is on fire!"

"I can see that!" he said, panic in his voice as he quickly removed it and threw it across the room.

"What are you doing?!" Janet yelled as quietly as she could before the still on fire robe landed underneath one of the windows and ignited the curtains.

"Oh no." Jack froze. "Janet, do something!"

"Me?!"

"You're the one who caught me on fire!"

"Janet? What's going on out there?" Phillip's voice. Janet's eyes grew large.

"Jack, is everything alright?" Vicky's.

In a panic, Janet ran toward Jack's room and Jack toward hers. Immediately realizing their mistake, they switched before the other opened the door. In their rush, they bumped into one another and fell to the floor.

Simultaneously, "What are you doing? I thought you were going to put out the fire! Me? What about you?"

"Take care of that! I'll be right back!" Janet yelled quietly. "Don't tell them anything!"

"Why not?!"

"It'll ruin the plan!"

He nodded and grabbed the emergency fire extinguisher he'd spotted near the fireplace and hurried over to the window. "Everything's…everything's fine, Vicky! I'll be right there!" he yelled over each spray.

Janet slammed the door shut once she'd entered her room. "Hi," she smiled as calmly and convincingly as she could, which wasn't very, as she brushed her hair out of her face.

"What's all that noise?" Phillip asked.

"Noise? What noise?"

They could clearly hear the sounds of the fire extinguisher going off on the other side of the door.

"Oh, that noise," Janet forced a laugh. "Well, it's a funny story, really."

Janet was interrupted by the sound of Jack's shrieks of struggle.

"Is Jack out there with you?"

Her first response was impulsive. "What? No!" Then, she caught herself. "I mean…he might be. How would…how would that make you feel?" she stumbled over her words, speaking as nonchalantly as possible.

"Fine I suppose, but - "

Jack calling for Janet interrupted him. "Hold that thought," Janet replied before slamming the door behind her. Should found Jack still struggling to put out the flames, which had grown since she'd left him because he seemed to be spraying everything except the fire itself.

"Take this! I'll be right back!"

Before she could protest he had entered his own room, leaving her to properly aim the extinguisher at the base of the flames.

"Jack, what is going on?" Vicky said as she jumped out of bed.

"It depends," he said catching his breath, but still trying to play the game. "What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't sound very good. What are you two doing?"

They heard a few last blasts of the extinguisher from the other room.

"Just enjoying a nice – a nice fire," he stuttered.

"Oh?" Vicky finally appeared to be a bit suspicious. "Then I suppose you wouldn't mind if I joined - "

"Ding!" he shrieked out of nowhere. "What was that? The stove? The cocoa's done? Excuse me, Vicky."

"But - "

He slammed the door on her, and when he turned around he stood face-to-face with an ash covered, incredulous Janet.

"I'm going to kill you." Her voice was monotone.

"Me?! You're the one who nearly pushed me into the fire!"

"You're the one who made me upset!"

"Well you're the one who - "

"Janet! Jack!" Their respective significant others called again, causing them both to run to their doors and hold them shut.

"Do you really think this is worth it?" Jack gasped.

"That's what we're trying to find out," she replied in kind as she examined the state they'd made of the room. Before them lay a mess of ash, tattered curtains, and fire extinguisher residue which, thanks to Jack, covered the walls, floor, and even the ceiling. Her face dropped and she looked defeated. "What are we going to tell them?"

Jack saw the worry in her face and relented. It was all her idea, but he'd readily agreed to it and had left the entire execution of it up to her. "I have an idea."

Her face lit up as she turned to look at him.

"We tell them the truth."

"What? But we can't - "

"Think about it, Janet. You and I sitting in the dark in front of a roaring fire, getting into a tussle, if you know what I mean," he bit his lip, "and losing ourselves in a moment of passion so strong and heated that we don't realize how close we are to the flames…"

Janet couldn't help but chuckle at how both silly and brilliant he sounded. "Maybe we don't put it in those exact words. We don't want them walking out on us completely."

"No, we don't, do we?" he winked, to which she smiled and shook her head once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **You Can Stick With Me**

The others were initially startled by the appearance of the cabin the next morning, but Jack and Janet were taken aback at the comparably small concern over what had actually taken place. It seemed as though both Vicky and Phillip had grown accustomed to their significant others ability to turn a small infraction into one that may or may not eventually involve destruction. So, without more than a question or two the next morning, Phillip suggested they all go kayaking together.

"K-kayaking?" Jack stuttered. He'd always had an aversion to boats. Anything involving floating and balance wasn't exactly his strong suit.

"Sure, it'll be fun!" Phillip replied, smacking Jack on the back. "Haven't you gone kayaking before?"

Jack glanced at Janet, as if to ask if this guy was for real. She shrugged in reply.

"Well I think it's a great idea," Vicky added.

"You do?" Jack asked. Vicky had never been the outdoorsy type.

"Sure. What else did we come out here for? To sit inside all day?"

"But you know how I am, Vicky. I'll knock us over as soon as we step inside the boat."

"Oh, I'm not worried about it," she smiled. "We can all ride singles."

But Jack had already resigned to bitterness over the activity of choice for the day, and Janet could read it on his face as they all made their way to the lake.

"Oh, come on, Jack," she said. "You can't knock it before you try it."

He sighed. "It's just - " a sneeze cut him off from finishing. "I don't-" Another. He steadied himself. "I'm a city boy, Janet. I don't know how to do any of this stuff."

"So am I," Phillip jumped in. "But I always love trying something new."

Jack silently mocked him when he turned his head and Janet stifled a laugh. "Look, my family used to do this sort of thing on vacation all the time. You can stick with me and I'll help you out…if you know what I mean." She added in the last part quietly, with a forced cough.

He raised an eyebrow and nodded in reply, catching on. At least their second attempt at this game that they were playing wouldn't involve fire.

Phillip turned out to be a natural. The man seemed to annoyingly be an expert at everything he tried. Vicky and Jack were left to struggle while the others aided them, although Vicky was a lot more enthusiastic to learn.

"How is it that you're all going straight?" Jack cried, his oars propelling him around in circles. About twenty feet away, he noticed a teenaged boy laughing at him. He cowered in embarrassment. "Oh ha-ha," he mumbled, trying to adjust his oars.

"Jack, relax. You're too nervous. It's all just a steady motion," Janet said, rowing over to him.

He continued in circles. "I am going in a steady motion, Janet. Over and over again."

"Hey, nerd! The shallow end is over there!" The same kid from before yelled at him.

"I'm gonna kill that kid."

"Jack, just ignore him. Try to keep up with us," said Vicky.

"Too bad they don't have training wheels for kayaks," the kid yelled again.

"Hey, you better cut it out!" Jack yelled.

"What're you gonna do, old man? Come over here and hit me? Oh wait!" he laughed, mocking Jack by rowing around in circles.

"That's it," Jack grumbled, pathetically attempting to row toward the kid, still only managing to go in circles and bump into Janet. Eventually he managed to pull out of it and go straight toward the kid, but Janet blocked him.

"Jack, get ahold of yourself! He's just a kid!"

Jack sighed and calmed himself down. "You're right. Besides, I think I'm getting the hang of this."

"Hey, there you go, pal. Finally catching up to the rest of us, I see," Phillip joked as he rowed over to him. Jack noted that no matter how friendly and playful the man tried to be, everything he said or did managed to be insufferable. Why did Janet marry him again?

"See? I knew he'd get it," Janet added, trying to get nearer to Jack. Unfortunately, he still seemed to be preoccupied with the kid taunting him. She sighed. "Will you let it go?" she grumbled slightly above a whisper.

"I think I can finally get this thing to row toward that kid so I can kill him," he said.

"No, you will not be killing any children-"

"Race you to that rock, old man!" the kid yelled.

"Jack…"

The kid began to make bawking chicken noises when Jack hesitated. That alone was enough to propel him forward.

The others looked on in surprise as he swiftly caught up to the kid, whose eyes grew large when he saw that Jack was actually taking him up on his offer. Soon they were neck and neck heading toward the large rock near the shore. The boy couldn't have been more than fourteen years old, but his skill and energy levels were much stronger than Jack's. He jammed his kayak into Jack's whenever he managed to pull ahead, causing him to temporarily lose control of the boat.

"Is this really happening right now?" Vicky looked over at Janet, who replied with a worrisome glance.

It was at that moment that a boat hauling a water-skier behind it passed dangerously close to the kayakers. The kid was savvy enough to control his, but Jack was taken off guard, and the boy took advantage of his weakness. As Jack was ducking under the wave that had poured water inside of the kayak, the kid jammed into him one more time before pulling ahead and reaching the rock. The excess water in the boat coupled with the waves caused Jack to topple sideways and into the water.

Janet, who was still the only one in the group who knew how to properly navigate a kayak, was the fastest to respond. Unfortunately, she, too, had water in her boat at that point as a result of the waves. When Jack grabbed onto her boat, he was unable to hang on without slipping. After several pathetic attempts and Janet insisting he be careful, he still couldn't find a grip to at least hang on. Janet finally reached out her arm, but everything working against them made it no use. It was her turn to topple into the lake as the other two attempted to row toward them to help.

"Isn't this just peachy?" Jack sarcastically grumbled as he paddled to keep himself afloat. Janet didn't even look surprised.

"Are you two alright?" Phillip asked when he and Vicky reached them. By then they were close enough to land that they were able to successfully wade over to it with little aid from the others.

"I'm fine," Janet said, glaring at Jack, who cowered apologetically.

"Maybe you ignore the teenager next time?" Vicky politely suggested.

"There won't be a next time because I can firmly say that kayaking is not for me," he said, squeezing the water from his clothes.

Vicky frowned. "And I was just starting to finally get the hang of it, too."

"How about we all go back to the cabin so you two can clean up, and then we can all go sightseeing?" Phillip suggested with annoying zeal.

Vicky and Phillip both began to step onto land with Jack and Janet, when Janet quickly made a motion for them to remain where they were.

"No, no, no, you two! There's no need to stop your fun on our account. Jack and I can just meet up with you later."

"But-" Phillip began.

"Now, we won't take no for an answer. Right, Jack?" she said, nudging him. He glanced at her for a moment before catching on.

"Huh? Oh! R-right. Yeah, don't you two worry about us. We can change each other. I mean ourselves! Together. I mean…not together. Together but in separate rooms. Yeah that's…that's what we'll…Janet?"

Janet nervously forced a smile. "That's right, Jack. You two just go on and have fun without us."

Vicky and Phillip looked at them awkwardly, then looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well, if you insist…" Phillip said.

"We insist!" Jack replied, wrapping a wet arm around Janet and squeezing her dramatically.

"Run along!" Janet said waving them off and Jack parroting her. Finally, when the others were out of earshot, she placed a hand on her chest and added, "Oh thank god, it worked."

"…what?" Jack asked.

"My plan," she smiled deviously.

"What plan?"

"Hey lady, where's the ten bucks you promised me?" It was the teenager from before coming over to them. Janet pulled out a wet change purse and handed the money to him. "Here you are. And thank you!"

"Thank _you_ ," he said before smiling wisely at Jack and heading off.

Jack watched the kid as he left, his mouth slightly agape as he caught on. "You didn't."

"I had no idea it would work so well," she laughed. "But I always knew you could be competitive."

He wanted to ring her neck. "I fell into the water! I could have drowned!"

"I considered that possibility," she said. "But I figured the gain was worth more than the possible loss."

His eyes grew large and she playfully smacked him in the side. "I'm kidding! Come on, we were hardly that far out at all. I'd have saved you."

They began to walk toward the path to the cabin. "Not if I decided to bring you under with me."

"You practically did," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I went into survival mode!"

Their bickering continued as they reach the cabin and went inside. They were relieved to finally switch out of their wet clothes and into their robes. Janet slumped onto the couch, her hair still a bit damp, and Jack quietly repeated the action. She was staring off into space, and Jack noticed that her demeanor had changed and she appeared a bit apprehensive.

"You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess I'm just worried…I mean what if this whole thing doesn't work out?"

"Oh, come on. It's only been a day. You can't be worried already. You seemed so confident a little while ago."

"I know, it's just…what if we're not fooling them? What if Phillip doesn't even care?"

"Hey, he cares, alright? The man seems to just be constantly chipper. Honestly, I don't know how you put up with it. Besides, what more can we do? Besides, you know, actually physically…you know." He slipped an arm around her waist with snakelike delicacy. "Which I _could_ arrange."

She pulled away and glared at him before sighing. "Come on, Jack, I'm serious. Suppose he cares more about this job than he cares about me. He has the ability to just up and leave and go without me."

"Janet. He's not gonna do that."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because," he smiled, wrapping his arm around her again, this time more tenderly, "No one in his right mind who is lucky enough to be married to you would ever leave you."

She looked over and him and smiled a warm, genuine smile.


End file.
